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Globalisation and its impact on the Mauritian Society

By

Rajen Suntoo

University of Mauritius

r.suntoo@uom.ac.mu

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The Mauritian society is undergoing a tremendous transition because of the process of

globalisation. The various institutions like politics, economic, social, environmental and even cultural are

at the mercy of the global market and the transnational companies. People, in developing societies, seem

to have no other alternative than to adapt to the requirements of the global capitalist economy.

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to take stock of the impact of globalization on Mauritius. The

paper emphasizes deeper into the changes brought about in the culture of the Mauritian people by

globalization.

Methodology: For the purpose of this paper both primary and secondary data have been used. Secondary

data were easily available from internet search and books. Primary data were mainly collected through the

use of observation.

Findings: The principal findings show that the culture of the Mauritians has changed considerably as

regards to their lifestyles. It seems that there is a lot of acculturation and even some forms of assimilation

of foreign ways of living taking place in Mauritius.

Implications: This study is of significance to policy makers as it provides important information on the

consumption patterns of the population. Appropriate actions can be initiated to mitigate the impact of

exaggerated reliance on foreign products.

Keywords: Globalisation, Mauritian society, Culture.

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Introduction

Bauman (2000) argues that globalization is on everybody’s lips and for some people, it is the

driver for happiness while for others, it is the main cause of unhappiness and miseries. Multi-

national and transnational companies have become very powerful and they are believed to be the

ones which decide on the socio-economic policies of various nation states, more particularly the

developing countries. Korten (1995) (Cited in Seeds of Fire, 2000) seems to be right when he

points out that with the formation and expansion of big global corporations and the dismantling

of trade and investment barriers, government and people of many countries have been

disempowered. The roles and functions of many national governments to control the behavior of

foreign corporations and investors have been reduced nowadays. Developing societies rely much

on the foreign direct investment for development and modernization purposes. Consequently,

they are most of the times at the mercy of the big global corporate sector.

Globalisation is, in fact, affecting the world economy. However, the intensity of its impact varies

from country to country. In Mauritius, the impact of globalization is highly visible. The changes

brought about in the rules, regulations, laws, and also in the operation of important institutions

provide an indication of the effect of globalization. The process of globalization has also led to a

metamorphosis of the culture of the population.

This paper aims to take stock of the impact of globalization on Mauritius. The study emphasizes

deeper into the changes brought about in the culture of the Mauritian people by globalisation.

The first part of the paper deals with the rationale behind the study, the methodology used and

the definition of globalization, its characteristics and dimensions are also mentioned. An

overview and analysis of the impact of globalization in Mauritian, with particular attention to

changes in culture, is provided in the second part. Finally, a conclusion is drawn and two

recommendations made.

Rationale behind the Study

There are quite a number of articles on globalization and its impact on societies. In Mauritius,

most of the studies have touched upon the economic issues. There is a lack of research on the

social impact of globalization, more particularly, the impact of globalisation on the culture of the

population. Therefore, this research is an attempt to fill in the gap.

Methodology

Methodology simply refers to the strategy that explains how, when and where data are to be

collected and analysed (Parahoo, 1997). For the sake of this study, both primary and secondary

data have been used. Secondary data were available mainly from books and internet search. Such

information was very useful for the literature review. However, a need for some primary data

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was felt to make the study more enriching. Thus, primary data were collected through the

observation method, more particularly the covert participant observation.

Observation as a method of data collection is frequently used by qualitative social researchers

(Haralambos & Holborn 2000). Researchers using observation may decide to be an overt

participant observer or a covert one. In the former case the researcher has to declare his or her

identity and the aims of the study. As a result, the presence of the researcher may affect the

behavior and attitudes of those being studied. On the other hand, the presence of a covert

participant observer will not affect the behavior of those being studied. Besides, covert

participant observers usually go unnoticed in public places like football stadiums, shopping

malls, food courts, cinema halls or supermarkets. Therefore, the data gained from such

observation are to a large extent valid. However, the reliability of data in qualitative observation

revolves around detailing the relevant context of observation according to Kirk and Miller (1986)

(Cited in Interpreting Qualitative Data, 2009).

All the primary data from observation were collected at Bagatelle shopping mall, Ebene and

Shoprite food courts, VIP shopping centre and spar supermarkets at Centre de Flacq. In this

study, after each field session, I tried to recall and write down all the notes observed. Then, I

entered all the details in my personal computer, as far as possible, on the same day.

Regarding the ethical implication of observation method, although the research subjects observed

were not informed about their participation yet the behavior, attitudes, comments and actions of

none of them would be identified as a result of the findings of this study.

Literature Review

Parahoo (1997) states that a literature review deals with the scanning and critical reading of

relevant and appropriate literature on the topic of research to find out how it can be useful to it.

The different key concepts like globalization, Mauritian society and culture will be explained and

the impact of globalization discussed.

Globalisation, its characteristics and dimensions

It is difficult to give a universal meaning to the term ‘globalization’. Different authors have

conceptualized it differently to suit their research purposes. For Khoo (2003), globalization is

understood as the trans-boundary movements of capital, people, goods, information and culture,

burst into intellectual awareness in the late 1980s and the 1990s. The proponents of

globalization, mainly the multi-billion businesses, international financial organizations and the

core capitalist states, marketed it as a new and inevitable process that would benefit all societies,

particularly the developing countries. Nevertheless, the financial crises in the 1990s, both in

Europe and in the Asian countries, undermined globalization as a process that is beneficial. It

became clear to the world that globalization was simply the furtherance of the imperialist project

in a disguised way (Khoo, 2003). On the other hand, George (1997) (Cited in Seeds Of Fire,

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2000) argued that economic globalization contributed to accelerate the process of global

inequalities as increased world trade had little to offer to the poor.

Even the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its 1997 Human Development

Report (Cited in Seeds of Fire, 2000) clearly mentioned that the greatest benefits of globalization

have been garnered by a fortunate few. The UNDP report recommended a better management of

globalization in order to avoid world financial crises, and also offer opportunities for poor

countries to have access to private capital, strengthening domestic institutions and inducing

transnational and multi-nationals corporations to promote growth for poverty reduction. A quick

glance at the world situation demonstrates clearly that none of the recommendations were

realized given that world poverty has increased considerably, financial and economic crises have

become common, and the disparities between the rich and poor countries have increased.

TNCs and MNCs, the representatives of the capitalists, have become so powerful that they are

believed to be the ones who decide on the policies to be undertaken by the different nation states.

Their organizational culture has become the mainstream culture. Countries the world over have

no other choice than to adopt and adapt to the culture of the big corporations.

Culture and Cultural Penetration

Macionis (2002) defines culture as the beliefs, values, behavior, and material objects that

constitutes a people’s way of life. In any society there are different cultural groups based

particularly on ethnic differences. Although cultures vary, the common components like

symbols, language, values and norms make social life possible. Therefore, shared cultural values

are important in societies. Thus, the process of globalization includes many cultural ideologies

which are marketed through media, owned by the capitalists. It is mostly the international

corporations that decide what is good, proper and appropriate for consumption.

According to Trouillot (2002) (Cited in Beyond Dichotomies, 2002), the cultural globalization

thesis explain the unprecedented flow of capital, good, ideas, and people across countries caused

by the economic and technological transformations since the 1970s. With globalization all areas

of social life have been affected by commodities marketed and promoted by international

corporations. Haralambos & Holborn (2000) argue that family activities like eating have been

invaded by the marketing of products. Gone are those days when families were sitting together

and eating the same food. In many families, children have their own television sets, and they

might sit in different rooms to their parents, watching different programmes, and even eating

different foods (Haralambos & Holborn, 2000). Such a way of life has become a threat to the

traditional family culture which sometimes leads to tensions and family conflict.

Through the information revolution, new symbols have been generated and spread over the

world giving rise to some form of a global culture. Nowadays, people find the same products

like jeans, can hear the same well-known pop music or eat the same food like Kentucky Fried

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Chicken (KFC), whether they are in Europe, Asia or Africa. The Global entertainment

companies are taking advantage of the improvement in information technology and

communication to shape the perceptions and dreams of ordinary citizens, wherever they live.

Many people are of the view that such spread of values, norms, and culture tends to promote

Western ideals of capitalism (Understanding Society, 2000).

Tandon (2004) explains that many society fear that widespread globalization process which is

perceived as a threat to the local culture where the indigenous ways of living that include

religious beliefs, values, language, moral and social norms, language, eating and dressing habits

may be obliterated giving way to some form of homogenizing societies which entail the

dominant culture of the Western and American capitalists. Already, many societies have

problems in accepting the American cultural penetration which promotes a global consumer

culture thereby leading people to live beyond their means through the purchase of branded

products on one hand and on the other hand becoming dependent on unnecessary foreign

products like cosmetics and perfumes. In fact there is much concern that big American

multinationals and Corporations like Coca-Cola and MacDonald's exert strong influence on

culture and lifestyles around the world (Tandon, 2004).

An Overview of the Mauritian Society.

Since its independence, Mauritius has made significant amount of progress. The level of

development achieved by the country has contributed to its reputation both in Africa and in the

world. The country has adopted an open economy policy since decades. It has always been

present in most of the international economic forums. Successive governments have taken

advantage of the different facilities and opportunities offered on the international scene. Most of

the times, it has followed the policies of the international institutions like International Monetary

Fund (IMF) , World Bank and it has also met the demands of the foreign investors and MNCs

with a view to attract foreign direct investment and business opportunities. There have also been

amendments brought to the Labour laws in order to suit the operation of the foreign companies

and businesses. Mauritius has even signed quite a number of international conventions to be in

the good books of the global institutions. The country has been able to capitalize on its socio-

economic and political stability to accommodate the process of globalization. The impact of

globalization is visible in many areas in Mauritius such as the political, financial, economic,

environmental, educational, social and cultural field.

The neoliberalists have a positive view on globalization as the latter is both inevitable and

beneficial while for the traditional left, globalization produces a minority of winners and a big

majority of losers (Wilson & Whitmore, 200, pg 53). Jankee argues that financial globalization

presents both challenges and opportunities to developing countries like Mauritius. He further

states that in terms of governance, the globalisation of the financial sector would imply the

adoption of international standards and practices in the area, thereby enhancing the overall

level of governance in the economy with possible spill-over effects into the improvement of

corporate governance. This is quite true for Mauritius as it has witnessed an improvement in

governance in a number of areas thereby contributing to its top position regarding good

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governance in Africa. In fact, Mauritius has been ranked thrice on top position, according to the

Mo Ibrahim Index, as far as good governance is concerned.

On the other hand, the investment in the construction of new infrastructures, roads, shopping

malls, and innovation in hotels industry, amongst others, both by the Government and the private

sector is a clear indication that the globalisation has tremendous impact on the Mauritian society.

Findings and Analysis

In this paper, the use of observational method has been made to collect data. Although this

method has its limitations as the results cannot be used for generalisation purposes yet the

findings of the research help to a large extent to understand the impact of globalization on the

culture of people. The cover participant observation has enabled me to get interesting first hand

information which will be now analysed and discussed. Different sub headings will be used to

classify the data obtained in order to facilitate analysis.

Dress codes

The change brought about by globalization is very much apparent in the way people are dressed.

Dress worn by people normally gives an indication of the culture of an ethnic group, gender

differences or age. Nowadays, it becomes very difficult to distinguish people from different

ethnic or religious groups. Even during religious festivals, the majority of people irrespective of

ethnicity wear fashionable dress, jeans and T- Shirts. Gone are those days when people were

wearing traditional dresses during religious ceremonies. Married women from all ethnic and

religious groups have become westernized as far as dress codes are concerned. It is no more a

taboo to find a married Asian lady wearing jean trousers during a religious ceremony. Regarding

men, it is now fashionable for men of all ages, whether 18 years old or 80 years old, to wear

short jeans and T-Shirts. As for the younger generation, girls from all ethnic groups can be seen

in public places, at shopping malls or in restaurants, with miniskirts or branded shorts. In a way,

the Mauritian population, irrespective of age, ethnicity, gender or place of origin, has become

Westernized or Americanized. This shows clearly that globalization, with the use of social

media, has been able to influence the dress codes in developing societies. Some people are of the

view that wearing jeans, T-shirts and other foreign clothes help to bring more commonness

among the population and in a way, leads, towards the construction of a uniform culture.

Buying habits

Gone are those days when people were saving money for future. From my observation, I could

see that the majority of people are willing to satisfy their present needs. They would buy branded

products which cost much. It seems that Mauritians are living in a permanent type of competition

with each other. A visit to the shop selling branded shirts or trousers reveals much about the

change in buying behavior of people. While competing with each other, a huge amount of

money is spent. It is also observed that women of all ages have developed a liking for foreign

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made cosmetics and perfumes than locally made ones. Most of them, whether they earn high or

low salary, would spend exorbitant amount on such products.

TNCs and MNCs, with all their marketing strategies through advertisement easily develop a need

for their products. Observations made at shops selling electronic devices have revealed

interesting data. People from all social classes, whether they live in rural or urban areas, have

become trendy nowadays. The reliance on imported products seems to have grown and such

products have become a necessity for many people. The young ones could be seen in the shops,

accompanied by their parents, choosing and buying the latest technological devices. The majority

of parents seem to satisfy the needs of their children. Most of the goods are bought on credit.

This explains as to why so many Mauritians are living beyond their means. Such type of culture

and behavior are passed on to the younger generation and in a very subtle manner the latter learn

the bad habit of spending more than earned.

Eating Habits

Homemade food has become a rare commodity in many families. Observations made at the food

courts and restaurants show that there is a metamorphosis of the eating behavior, irrespective of

factors like age, gender, ethnicity or social class. People rely too much on fast food like KFC,

Pizzas, Nando’s and Mc Donalds. Food courts are always full of clients. There is a belief that

people do not get time to prepare food in the morning because both the men and the women

work. Consequently, many people rely on fast food. It is a paradox in Mauritius that most people

are health conscious yet the majority of places selling fast foods are overcrowded. This shows

that the MNCs regularly change their promotion strategies to suit the needs of the population. In

both rural and urban areas, fast food businesses now offer home services. Such facilities make

the population vulnerable and they continue to rely on such food. Even during religious

ceremonies, many people prefer to serve food purchased from restaurants than homemade one.

Ways of living and thinking

Data collected from the observations reveal that the majority of the population rarely talks to

each other in public places. People prefer to concentrate on their own businesses. If somebody is

in problem in a public place, people avoid helping him or her. Such individualism seems to

explain the loss of social solidarity nowadays.

Reliance on Technological Devices

From the observation, it is seen that people have developed more liking for objects than for

human beings. It seems that if somebody loses his or her partner, he or she will not be that much

affected than if he or she loses his or her mobile phone. Nowadays, mobiles have become an

inseparable part of people. People are always seen communicating via their mobiles. Although a

majority of citizen seems to use their mobiles in the proper manner yet a few people use such

devices to harass others by taking inappropriate photos or recording others without permission.

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Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism

From the field work it has been noticed that people purchase and consume same products, wear

same types of dress and eat similar food which means that some forms of Mauritian culture is

developing. At the food courts and in the restaurants, people of different ethnicities could be seen

sitting together and having their meals. This shows that a big majority of the population has

developed cultural relativism and respect for other’s culture. Such behavior needs to be promoted

as it helps to combat ethnocentrism in public places.

Conclusion

The paper has attempted to explain and discuss the impact of globalization on the Mauritian

society, particularly on the culture of the people. The literature review helped to set the scene to

understand globalization and its cultural penetration. From the analysis, it is found that

globalization has caused a change in the culture of a big majority of people irrespective of their

ethnicity, age, gender, place of origin. Many people have adopted the foreign lifestyles and they

have incorporated the western cultural behavior as regards their eating habits, dress codes and

buying behavior. Quite a large number of the population has become addicted to foreign ways of

living which might account for the excessive reliance on foreign products and the phenomena of

living beyond their means. The policy makers need to develop strategies to inculcate appropriate

values like responsible purchasing and encourage saving behaviour in the population. Religious

leaders, on the other hand, should work hard to promote the preservation of traditional values,

rites and rituals for the survival of ancestral culture and values.

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